Mississippi statute §67-3-11 permits the home production of beer with certain limitations. It was approved back in March but took effect July 1.

In households with one person that is 21 and older, up to 100 gallons of beer can be brewed per year. In homes with two or more people of legal drinking age, up to 200 gallons can be brewed. The statute also allows for transport of homebrew for exhibitions and contests.

But the law does not allow for homemade beer to be produced in counties or municipalities where possession of beer is not legal.

With Mississippi’s law in effect, homebrewing is now legal in all 50 states. Alabama — the other longtime homebrewing holdout — legalized homebrewing with the passage of bill HB9, which was signed by Governor Robert Bentley on May 9, 2013.

Boulder, CO • June 11, 2013—The American Homebrewers Association (AHA) released the results of its fourth annual Homebrew Supply Shop Survey, detailing the current state of the home beer and wine supply retail industry. The results indicate that, on the whole, shops are thriving as they cater to the growing community of homebrewing enthusiasts.

Reviewing data from 275 shops spanning 47 states-a 32 percent increase in participants from last year’s survey-the survey found that on average, participants saw gross revenue increase by 26 percent in 2012. For shops that primarily sell homebrew supplies, gross revenue increased on average by 29 percent. This is 2 percent higher than last year’s results and 10 percent higher than results from the first AHA supply shop survey conducted in 2009.

“As homebrewing continues to grow, retail shops are responding accordingly, satisfying the needs of their increasing customer base,” said Gary Glass, director, American Homebrewers Association. “Homebrew supply shops serve as the heart of local homebrewing communities. The success of a local shop will ensure a thriving community of homebrewers.”

Additional highlights from the survey include:

•Homebrew Beginners: The majority of shops (80 percent) experienced increased sales of beginner homebrew equipment kits, signifying a considerable boost in interest in the hobby. The largest segment of people buying the beginner kits were individuals 30 to 39 years old.

•New Lease on Brewing: In 2013, 43 percent of responding shops said they have been open for three years or less, up from 34 percent in 2012, indicating considerable growth in new shop openings.

The full report contains additional information on customer demographics, marketing and sales. Results demonstrated significant advancement in several areas considered by the AHA, including gross revenue, store openings and beginner equipment sales, indicating a growth in the industry. The AHA conducts this survey every year to provide homebrewers and supply retailers with the latest industry information.

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About the American Homebrewers Association:

The American Homebrewers Association has worked on behalf of the homebrewing community since 1978 and celebrates a membership of more than 37,000 homebrewers. The American Homebrewers Association (AHA) organizes events including the National Homebrewers Conference and National Homebrew Competition. The AHA also publishes Zymurgy magazine. The AHA is part of the Brewers Association, whose Brewers Publications division is the largest publisher of contemporary and relevant brewing literature for today’s craft brewers and homebrewers.

On Saturday, Boscos played host to Memphis’ celebration of National Homebrew Day, with close to 40 local homebrewers boiling wort on the back parking lot of the brewpub in Overton Square.

It was a cool morning with no rain, so conditions were good for the American Homebrewers Association Big Brew, which is celebrated by homebrewers from around the world and always takes place the first Saturday of May.

Homebrewers from the Bluff City Brewers & Connoisseurs and the Memphis Brewer’s Association marked the occasion this weekend. Boscos provided the space and gave each homebrewer free wort to brew with, as well as optional yeast. Brewers brought their own hops and created their own hop schedule and recipe.

Homebrewer Adam Steele assisted Boscos head brewer Adam Hargove in the brewhouse and got to experience brewing on the 7-barrel system. He filled the homebrewers’ kettles with either five or 10 gallons of wort.

The brewpub graciously provides the space and gives each homebrewer free wort to brew with, as well as yeast. Brewers just have to bring their own hops and can make whatever concoction they want with the wort.

In 2012, an estimated 7,100 people celebrated National Homebrew Day at 254 registered sites. About 1,500 batches created some 11,200 gallons of homebrew enjoyed around the world. Nine countries participated with registered AHA Big Brew sites, including 44 U.S. states.

If you’re interested in checking out the Memphis event and learning more about the hobby of homebrewing, come to the back parking lot at Boscos anytime from around 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

To toast the Memphis Grizzlies’ playoff run, I’ll be brewing a “Grit Grind IPA.” It will burst with citrus and resiny hops and smack your taste buds like the Grizzlies are smacking around the Clippers. (Hopefully, on Saturday, we’ll also be celebrating a Game 6 and first-round series win after Friday night’s game.)

Boscos will provide wort based on its Bombay IPA recipe, and all I really know is that it’s mostly two-row malt, with some crystal malt, and it has an original gravity of around 1.054.

I’ll be using Belma hops for bittering and Citra and Columbus hops during the boil and for dry hopping. Here’s my hop schedule, based on a 10-gallon batch: